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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. file — a document
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. current — happening now
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. current — of water
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — a match
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com